Ben Stiller excited for Severance season 2, hopes to get season 3 out "sooner"

Severance is a twisty, funny, creepy sci-fi show on Apple TV+ about a group of workers who voluntarily undergo a procedure where their work selves have no memory of what they do when they're outside the office, and vice versa. But what happens when their works selves develop personalities of their own and start to resent their outside selves — their "outies," in the parlance of the show — for putting them in this position? That was just one of several fascinating questions posed by the first season of Severance, which wrapped up back in April of 2022. Yes, we've been waiting over two years for season 2!

Happily, the wait is about to come to an end: Severance season 2 kicks off on Apple TV+ on January 17, 2025, so a few months away. Ben Stiller, who is best known as an actor but who's also a director and executive producer on the show, knows they have a lot to live up to. “It’s taken a long time. I hope it’s good," he told Variety. "You know, people are just wanting something to live up to what they’ve experienced and have it hopefully not let them down. And so, I don’t know, all you all you can do is try to do what you think is good.”

"I’m excited for it. We put it put everything into it. And it’s been fun to explore the story and work with these actors and [series creator] Dan Erickson. I’ve never had that experience of being with something for so long, where the characters really start to have a life and the actors understand the characters so well, and it grows into something more."

I'm glad Stiller is optimistic about the season, but having to wait three years for a second season of a TV show is pretty ridiculous, something he's aware of. “It’s been an interesting, trying time over the last few years to make things, on all levels for people,” he said. “So to keep that focus on trying to make the best possible season, being aware that it’s taken a long time. I, like other people, get frustrated when things take a long time. I want to have the next season sooner. So I understand that feeling of the expectation.”

Stiller doesn't mention the reason for the long wait, although reportedly the show was plagued by behind-the-scenes issues, from budget woes to infighting between producers Dan Erickson and Mark Friedman. But as long as the final product turns out well, all will be forgiven.

When last we left our gang of "innies," they'd conspired to reactivate their consciousness while in the outside world, although that's only going to last for a short time. In the first image of the second season, above, Mark (Adam Scott) carries a bunch of blue balloons down the hallway of his mysterious workplace. What it means? No idea. I'm ready to unmask the conspiracy!

“I think it’ll be a really interesting second season,” said John Turturro, who plays Mark's innie pal Irving. “We are delving into the unknown that the audience is waiting for, and then doing it incrementally.”

I only watched the first season of Severance recently and I'm glad I waited, cause I wouldn't have wanted to experience the cliffhanger at the end of season 1 and then have to wait three years for the follow-up. Viva January!

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